$86,000 in Grants Awarded for Suffield Projects

Amiel P. Zak Public Service Fund Has Awarded $400,000 Since 2002

June 2009

Grants totaling more than $86,000 have been award to nine organizations for projects in Suffield by the Amiel P. Zak Public Service Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The fund was established in 2002 by Michael Zak to honor the commitment, activism and dedicated years of service to the Suffield community by his father.  Since its inception in 2002, more than $400,000 in grants have been awarded.

This year’s grants include building repair projects, the purchase of defibrillators, new computers for the Suffield Observer, and the construction of a staircase to the Connecticut River.

“Once again it is a pleasure to honor my father’s memory with these grants which will help to improve the quality of life in the town he loved,” said Michael Zak.

Receiving grants are:

• Citizens Restoring Congamond, $25,000 for building materials to complete the repair of the roof over the former Babb’s dance hall/roller skating rink.
  
• Connecticut Landmarks, $20,000 to replace the barn roof at the Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden.
  
• The Suffield Observer, $12,500 to buy and install new computers and software.
  
• Veterans of Foreign Wars, Landry-Sic Post 9544, $10,000 for building repairs and upgrades.
  
• Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association, $5,712 to purchase four automated, electronic defibrillators for use in police cruisers.
  
• The Friends of the Farm at Hilltop, $5,000 for the annual Farm Fest program.
  
• Suffield High School Best Buddies Club, $4,350 for a leadership and social skills program.
  
• The Suffield Players, $2,000 for repair and replacement of signs on the front of Mapleton Hall.
  
• Friends of the Canal at the Enfield Falls, $1,850 for materials and labor to construct a staircase to the Connecticut River.

In addition, the Amiel P. Zak Scholarship Fund at the Hartford Foundation has awarded $58,500 in college scholarships since 2002 to seven students from Suffield High School. 

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents.  The Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families, and last year, awarded grants of more than $27 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations.  For more information about the Foundation, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.